Doubledeck - is this the next snowboard revolution?

Before the new Doubledeck snowboards can be examined by visitors at the booth in hall B3.100, we met Andreas Kramer, mastermind and inventor behind the Doubledeck technology for an interview. He didn't want to tell us everything about his new snowboards yet. But we were able to elicit some promising information from him in advance.

Before we talk about your new invention. Tell us something about your background in the snowboarding industry.

I'll be brief: I've been working as an entrepreneur in the sporting goods industry since 1993 and managed Europe's largest skateboard factory for about 18 years. There we later also produced and distributed snowskates under our own brand Decept. But at that time we had also produced snowskates for other large snowboard manufacturers such as Burton Snowboards. From 2004, I was in charge of the European headquarters of Sims Snowboards for four years. So I am very familiar with the industry.

Where does your expertise in product development come from?

Especially the time when I developed boards with my team for our own snowskate brand Decept was very instructive and exciting. The success proved us right and was also confirmation that our products perform well.

What motivated you to rethink the construction of a snowboard?

I have been interested in materials engineering since my youth. Even though I never studied the subject, I was able to gain a lot of practical experience through many internships and jobs over the years. Finally, snowboarding is my great love. As a passionate snowboarder and trained snowboard instructor, it appealed to me to rethink the technology of snowboarding. My motivation was to make snowboarding easier for beginners and better for everyone else.

Do you want to tell us how you managed to do that?

With a lot of perseverance, patience and stamina. We worked on our idea and the new technology until it was technically feasible.

If you look at the pictures and the video here, you immediately notice that your Doubledeck board differs visually from a conventional snowboard by an additional deck on top. Do you want to tell us at least briefly what it's all about?

Exactly, the Bow-Construction, i.e. the curved bridge that is screwed onto the top of the snowboard, is the heart of our technology. Through its shape, preload and flexible connection to the snowboard, it ensures the better performance of our boards. I don't want to reveal more at this point, because the "mother board" also needs a special construction to make the technology functional. Come and visit us at booth B3.100 and see the Doubledeck for yourself.

That's what we do. But I have one last question: When you develop new technologies that are also supposed to have lasting success, pro-riders or respected opinion leaders must be also convinced by the products. Have you already put some experts on your boards? And what was their feedback like?

You can assume that I was not alone in testing and developing the prototypes. And yes, we also worked with top riders in the process. For example, a pretty well-known Norwegian, let's call him Mr. T, tested the boards intensively. He was completely blown away by how noticeable the performance difference is, and that's why he became a partner and brand ambassador for Doubledeck Snowboards and will also be responsible for further product development in the future.

What are the Doubledeck snowboards all about?